Tenter machine



Oct. 19, 1937. RIMARSHALL 2,095,996

TENTER MACHINE Filed July 2]., i936 x if '4 i INVENT OR. BY wz/ adzz ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 19, 1937 TENTER MACHINE Robert Marshall, Cranston, R. If Application July 21, 1936 Serial No. 91,700

10 Claims. (01. 26 57) i This invention relates to improvements in tenter machines and the principal objects thereof are directed to the provision of means in a tenter chain to facilitate expansion or elongation of the rails of the machine.

A tenter machine includes spaced side rails on which the tenter chains run. Due to the fact that a tenter machine is usually operated in a heated room or enclosure, the rails tend to expand or elongate and, when the temperature decreases, the rails contract. This contraction and expansion present a serious problem, and'it is to overcome the difiiculties brought about by the elongationor expansion of the rails that my invention relates.

Accordingly, I have devised novel means by which the rails may slide back and'forth due to expansion or contraction while they may also be'moved towards and away from one another for purposes of adjustment.

Various and numerous novel objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the invention in the form at present preferred, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational viewof a part of a side rail of a tenter machine, showing how it is associated with the supporting parts therefor;

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view on the line 2--2 0f Fig. 1; i

. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a small scale diagrammatic plan View showing a part of the rails of a tenter machine.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail,

the invention will be fully described.

A stand or support is represented at 2, there being one-at either side of the machine. These stands or-supports are secured to the floor or' a foundation and a transverse or cross member l, for convenience called a crosshead, is secured at its opposite end thereto. A supporting member, which may be called a saddle and indicated by 6, is slidableon a flange 8 of the cross member at either end thereof, An adjusting shaft I0 is explaining the present invention, it may be assumed that the shaft is squared as at 22, whereby it may be rotated by means of any suitable tool.

By rotating shaft ill, the saddles are moved toward and away from one another to facilitate adjustment of the rails whereby the tent-er machine may accommodate various materials to be handled thereby.

i. A stud24 projects upwardly from the upper side of the saddles 6, and saddlelinks 28 have 10 lowerand upper bored hubs t8 and 29 which receive the said stud 2%. As the saddles 6 are moved back and forth, thesaddlelinks are moved thereby. By reason of the studs 24 there may be some oscillating movement of the saddlelinks 26 15 relative to the saddles 6.;

Rails, such as indicated by 30, rest on the saddlelinks 26. The rails may be of any length desired depending upon the length of the tenter machine. Where the machine is of relatively 20 short length, there may be two or so rails on each side which are secured together. Where the machine is longer, there may be any number of rails suitably'secured together at adjacent ends. In a machine where there are a number of rails, there 25 are of course a greater number of the stands 2 and cross heads 4 so that the rails from end to end are suitably supported at intervals and may be adjustedat intervals.

'The rails shown are adapted to support the 30 outer and inner runs of the tenter chains. The rails 3|] at their lower sides are provided with openings 34 through which the hubs 29 of the saddle 6 extend. It will be noticed that the said hub does not contact the openings 34 whereby 35 the rail may move relative to the saddle.

Grooves or guideways extend longitudinally of the rails at each end of the opening S t and blocks are slidably disposed therein. Bolts to extend upwardly through the saddlelinks and blocks 38, 40 and the washers 42 are disposed over the transverse members 32 of the rails, with nuts 44 on the upper ends of the said bolts.

The washers tend tohold the rails on to the saddlelink while the blocks 38, being slidable in 5 the slot 36, permit the rail to move longitudinally relative to the saddlelinks 26.

There may be certain finished pads on the upper part of the crosshead for the saddle to slide upon. Likewise, there may be certain. finished-pads on the underside of therails and upper side of the saddlelinks to permit sliding of the rails along the saddlelinks, all as shown.

From the foregoing, it. will be observed that the saddles are movable back and forth on the 5 crosshead for the'purpose of moving the rails towards and away from one another. Therefore,-

the rails, and chains which they carry, can be i expand or elongate and contract, they being slidable on the saddlelinks, while the blocks 38 and their guideways insure movements of the rails in a definite path. Their elongation will not interfere with the sidewise adjustments thereof, and

any elongation or contraction will not strain the parts since the rails are guided so as to be free to move longitudinally.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the form of the invention; therefore, I do not wish to be limited by the specific detail shown, but rather by the appended claims. What I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, a support member slidable thereon in one direction, a third member pivoted thereto, a rail slidable on said third member, and means associated with the rail and third'member for. guiding the rail for sliding movements substantially transverse to the direction of movement of the support member on the cross member, the 7 said means including guideways in said rail and blocks on said third member'slidable therein.

2. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, support members slidable thereon in a certain direction, means tosimultaneously move said members towards and away from one another, third members pivoted to said support members, rails slidable on said third members,

and means associated with said railsand third members for guiding the rails for sliding movements in directions substantially transverse to the direction of the movement of the support members, all adapted and arranged whereby the said rails may move relative to the support members in one direction and are moved towards and away from one another thereby.

3. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, support members slidable'therein towards and away from one another, third mem bers, pivotal connections between saidsupport members and third members, rails slidable on said third members, and guiding means associated with said third members and rail members permitting sliding movements of the rails on the third members substantially transverse to the movement of the supports towards and away from one another.

4. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, support members slidable therein towards and away from one another, third members, pivotal connections between said support members and third members, rails slidable on said third members, and guiding means associated with said third members and rail members permitting sliding movements of the rails on the third members substantially transverse to the movement of the supports towards and away from one another, the said guiding means being separate from the pivotal connections.

5. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, support members slidable-therein towards and, away from one another, third members, pivotal connections between said support 7 members and third members, rails slidable on said third members, guiding means associated with said third members and rail members permitting sliding movements of the rails on the third members substantially transverse to the movement of the supports towards and away from one another, the said guiding means being separate from the pivotal connections, and means preventing upward movements of the rails on the third members.

6. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, supports slidable therein towards and away from one another, means to move said supports towards and away from one another, third members on said supports, pivotal connec tions between said support members and third members, rail members slidable on said third members, guiding means associated with said third and rail members restricting movements of the rail members to movements substantially transverse to the movements of the supports towards and away from one another, the said guiding means includingguides in the form of blocks and guideways being in the form of slots.

7. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, supportsslidable therein towards and away from one another, means to move said supports towards and away from one another, third members on said supports, pivotal connections between said support members and third members, rail members slidable on said third members, guiding means associated with said third and rail members restricting movements of the rail members to movements substantially transverse to the movements of the supports towards and away from one another, and means preventing separation of said rail and third members.

. 8. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, supports slidable therein towards and away from one another, means to move said supports towards and away from one another, third members on said supports, pivotal connections between said support members and third members, rail members slidable on said third members, guiding means associated with said third and rail members restricting movements of the rail members to movements substantially transverse to the movements of the 7 supports towards and away from one another, the

said guiding means including blocks pivotally associated with one of said members slidably receivable in slots provided in the other member.

9. The combination in a tenter machine of a cross member, supports thereon slidable towards and away from one another and relative thereto, rails freely slidable relative to said supports, and guiding means to restrict sliding movements of the rails substantially transversely to the movements of the supports including substantially rectangular blocks having flat faces and guideways in the form of slots receiving said blocks.

10. The combination in a tenter machine of, a cross member, a support member slidable thereon, a third member'pivotally connected to the support member, a rail slidable on the third member, aligned guideways in the rail at either side of thesaid pivotal connection, and guides in the third member pivoted thereto and slidable in the guideways.

' ROBERT MARSHALL. 

